Wolters Kluwer Health
may email you for journal alerts and information, but is committed
to maintaining your privacy and will not share your personal information without
your express consent. For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

Background and aims: Death anxiety (DA) in nurses who frequently care for dying children can contribute to job dissatisfaction and burnout, and may result in suboptimal end-of-life care. DA has not been investigated in the paediatric (PICU) or neonatal intensive care (NICU) context.

Aims: To determine the prevalence of death anxiety in PICU and NICU nurses and identify associated demographic factors.

Methods: Ethics approval was obtained from the university and participating hospitals. The study was conducted by anonymous survey using a 14-item modified Templer Death Anxiety Scale. Questionnaires were distributed to 360 nurses in the PICU and NICU in two metropolitan tertiary hospitals. Item responses were scored 0=no DA or 1=DA. Scores were summed to give a total DA score (possible range 0–14) for each participant. Multiple regression was used to investigate associations between DA score and demographic characteristics.

Conclusions: The extent of death anxiety varied considerably in this sample and was only partially explained by demographic characteristics. Education emerged as the only modifiable factor; further investigation into its potential protective effect is warranted. Nurses who experience high levels of death anxiety may need additional support in the workplace to assist them in caring for dying children and infants.